A federal judge has upheld Internet disclosure of donors' names and other identifying information in state-mandated reports, [which] has led to consumer boycotts, picketing and even death threats.
-- From "Prop. 8 campaign can't hide donors' names" by Bob Egelko, San Fran. Chronicle Staff Writer 1/30/09
"If there ever needs to be sunshine on a particular issue, it's a ballot measure," U.S. District Judge Morrison England said after a one-hour hearing in his Sacramento courtroom.
A lawyer for the Prop. 8 campaign said it would ask an appeals court to modify or overturn the law, which requires disclosure of all contributors of $100 or more.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld campaign disclosure laws in 1976 but ruled in 1982 that the Socialist Workers Party in Ohio could shield its donors' names because of a history of attacks and reprisals.
[Judge England] noted that some of the reprisals reported by the Prop. 8 committee involve legal activities such as boycotts and picketing. Other alleged actions, such as death threats, mailings of white powder and vandalism, may constitute "repugnant and despicable acts" but can be reported to law enforcement, the judge said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Obama Nominee: Childbirth Worse Than Abortion
President Barack Obama has come under fire for pro-abortion nominations for various positions and now he is drawing heat for nominating a pro-abortion Deputy Attorney General.
-- From "Obama Deputy Attorney General Nominee: Childbirth Worse Than Abortion" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 1/29/09
. . . in legal papers filed during the consideration of a 1992 Supreme Court case, [David] Ogen claimed women don't deal with negative experiences resulting from an abortion.
Ogden wrote and filed an amicus brief on behalf of the American Psychological Association for the Supreme Court's seminal decision in Casey v. Planned Parenthood.
In it, Ogden argued, "Abortion rarely causes or exacerbates psychological or emotional problems. When women do experience regret, depression, or guilt, such feelings are mild and diminish rapidly without adversely affecting general functioning."
"The few women who do experience negative psychological responses after abortion appear to be those with preexisting emotional problems," Ogden claimed.
"In sum, it is grossly misleading to tell a woman that abortion imposes possible detrimental psychological effects when the risks are negligible in most cases," Ogden claimed.
The Obama nominee appears to believe that childbirth is worse for women than an abortion.
"The evidence shows that she is more likely to experience feelings of relief and happiness, and when child-birth and child-rearing or adoption may pose concomitant (if not greater) risks or adverse psychological effects," he surmised.
These conclusions differ from research both at the time and since then that confirm women experience much greater mental health problems following an abortion.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Obama Deputy Attorney General Nominee: Childbirth Worse Than Abortion" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 1/29/09
. . . in legal papers filed during the consideration of a 1992 Supreme Court case, [David] Ogen claimed women don't deal with negative experiences resulting from an abortion.
Ogden wrote and filed an amicus brief on behalf of the American Psychological Association for the Supreme Court's seminal decision in Casey v. Planned Parenthood.
In it, Ogden argued, "Abortion rarely causes or exacerbates psychological or emotional problems. When women do experience regret, depression, or guilt, such feelings are mild and diminish rapidly without adversely affecting general functioning."
"The few women who do experience negative psychological responses after abortion appear to be those with preexisting emotional problems," Ogden claimed.
"In sum, it is grossly misleading to tell a woman that abortion imposes possible detrimental psychological effects when the risks are negligible in most cases," Ogden claimed.
The Obama nominee appears to believe that childbirth is worse for women than an abortion.
"The evidence shows that she is more likely to experience feelings of relief and happiness, and when child-birth and child-rearing or adoption may pose concomitant (if not greater) risks or adverse psychological effects," he surmised.
These conclusions differ from research both at the time and since then that confirm women experience much greater mental health problems following an abortion.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Judge Upholds Christian School Religious Liberty
A private religious high school can expel students it believes are lesbians because the school isn't covered by California civil rights laws, a state appeals court has ruled.
-- From "Court says private school can expel lesbians" by Bob Egelko, San Fran. Chronicle Staff Writer 1/28/09
Relying on a 1998 state Supreme Court ruling that allowed the Boy Scouts to exclude gays and atheists, the Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Bernardino said California Lutheran High School is a social organization entitled to follow its own principles, not a business subject to state anti-discrimination laws.
"The whole purpose of sending one's child to a religious school is to ensure that he or she learns even secular subjects within a religious framework," Justice Betty Richli said in the 3-0 ruling, issued Monday.
As with the Boy Scouts, she said, the primary function of the school is to instill its values in young people, who are told of its policies when they enroll.
Kirk Hanson, a lawyer for the two girls, said he was disappointed and would talk to them about a possible appeal to the state Supreme Court.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Court says private school can expel lesbians" by Bob Egelko, San Fran. Chronicle Staff Writer 1/28/09
Relying on a 1998 state Supreme Court ruling that allowed the Boy Scouts to exclude gays and atheists, the Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Bernardino said California Lutheran High School is a social organization entitled to follow its own principles, not a business subject to state anti-discrimination laws.
"The whole purpose of sending one's child to a religious school is to ensure that he or she learns even secular subjects within a religious framework," Justice Betty Richli said in the 3-0 ruling, issued Monday.
As with the Boy Scouts, she said, the primary function of the school is to instill its values in young people, who are told of its policies when they enroll.
Kirk Hanson, a lawyer for the two girls, said he was disappointed and would talk to them about a possible appeal to the state Supreme Court.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Washington on Path to Homosexual 'Marriage'
The legislature is set to expand the state's domestic partnership law, and a measure legalizing same-sex marriage has been introduced.
-- From "Same-sex rights could be expanded in Wash. state" by Rachel LaCore, Associated Press 1/29/09
The 110-page bill makes changes to all remaining areas of state law where currently only married couples are addressed. The bill would add same-sex domestic partners to state statutes ranging from labor and employment to pensions and other public employee benefits.
"I would say the most remarkable thing about this bill is that it is unremarkable," said Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle. "Instead of the cultural wars that we have seen year after year, we see a Legislature that is mostly on board in moving forward on protecting all of Washington's families."
Murray, who sponsored the state's domestic partnership law in 2007, is sponsoring the expansion bill in the Senate this year; Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, is sponsoring the measure in the House. They are two of six openly gay lawmakers in the Legislature.
Opponents argue that the latest measure is just one more step to sanctioning same-sex marriage, which they say dilutes traditional marriage.
"With this year's legislation, they are taking the final step to stitch together gay marriage in a state that does not legally permit it," said Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Same-sex rights could be expanded in Wash. state" by Rachel LaCore, Associated Press 1/29/09
The 110-page bill makes changes to all remaining areas of state law where currently only married couples are addressed. The bill would add same-sex domestic partners to state statutes ranging from labor and employment to pensions and other public employee benefits.
"I would say the most remarkable thing about this bill is that it is unremarkable," said Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle. "Instead of the cultural wars that we have seen year after year, we see a Legislature that is mostly on board in moving forward on protecting all of Washington's families."
Murray, who sponsored the state's domestic partnership law in 2007, is sponsoring the expansion bill in the Senate this year; Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, is sponsoring the measure in the House. They are two of six openly gay lawmakers in the Legislature.
Opponents argue that the latest measure is just one more step to sanctioning same-sex marriage, which they say dilutes traditional marriage.
"With this year's legislation, they are taking the final step to stitch together gay marriage in a state that does not legally permit it," said Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
To Muslims, Obama Says Some Americans are Infidels
In the President's first TV interview, with al-Arabiya, when he said that America includes people of all faiths and non-believers, the Arabic translators corrected Obama so as not to inflame the Muslim world.
-- From "Obama Tells Muslim World that America is a Nation of ‘Muslims, Jews, Christians’ -- and Infidels?" by Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor, CNSNews.com 1/29/09
In his interview with al-Arabiya on Tuesday, President Obama said he intended to send a message that America is willing to forge a new partnership with the Arab world.
“(W)hat I want to communicate is the fact that in all my travels throughout the Muslim world, what I've come to understand is that regardless of your faith -- and America is a country of Muslims, Jews, Christians, non-believers -- regardless of your faith, people all have certain common hopes and common dreams,” Obama told Hisham Melhem, the Washington Bureau Chief for al-Arabiya.
But mentioning “non-believers” to a Muslim audience was dicey, according to some experts on Arabic and Arab culture, given the fact that to some Muslims and nations, “non-believer” is synonymous with “infidel.”
The Obama interview was in English, and for broadcast in the Arab world, the Dubai-based, Saudi-owned Arabic TV network chose not to interpret “non-believer” to mean “atheist.” That term would not have endeared him to the Muslim world, [said Dr. Walid Phares, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on Islamism].
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
The world is a much different place than the 'multi-cultural' streets of Chicago!
-- From "Obama Tells Muslim World that America is a Nation of ‘Muslims, Jews, Christians’ -- and Infidels?" by Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor, CNSNews.com 1/29/09
In his interview with al-Arabiya on Tuesday, President Obama said he intended to send a message that America is willing to forge a new partnership with the Arab world.
“(W)hat I want to communicate is the fact that in all my travels throughout the Muslim world, what I've come to understand is that regardless of your faith -- and America is a country of Muslims, Jews, Christians, non-believers -- regardless of your faith, people all have certain common hopes and common dreams,” Obama told Hisham Melhem, the Washington Bureau Chief for al-Arabiya.
But mentioning “non-believers” to a Muslim audience was dicey, according to some experts on Arabic and Arab culture, given the fact that to some Muslims and nations, “non-believer” is synonymous with “infidel.”
The Obama interview was in English, and for broadcast in the Arab world, the Dubai-based, Saudi-owned Arabic TV network chose not to interpret “non-believer” to mean “atheist.” That term would not have endeared him to the Muslim world, [said Dr. Walid Phares, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on Islamism].
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
The world is a much different place than the 'multi-cultural' streets of Chicago!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Government Takes Children from Home, Gives to 'Homosexual Couple'
Officials decide gay couple better for five-year-old boy and his four-year-old sister than their own grandparents (their mother, a recovering drug addict, was not considered capable).
-- From "Social services remove young children from grandparents and arrange adoption by gay couple" by Lucy Cockcroft, The London Telegraph 1/28/09
. . . social workers stepped in after allegedly deciding that the couple, who are aged 59 and 46, were "too old" to look after the children.
They were allegedly stripped of their carer's rights and informed they would be barred from seeing the children altogether unless they agreed to the same-sex adoption.
The case raises fears about state interference in family arrangements, and concerns about the practice of adoption by same-sex couples.
The children have been in foster care for two years while their grandparents battled the social services department in court.
However, the cost of legal bills forced them to drop the case and relinquish their rights.
The grandparents reluctantly agreed to adoption, provided the children were found a "loving mother and father".
They were told last Thursday that two homosexual men had been chosen as the adoptive parents.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Social services remove young children from grandparents and arrange adoption by gay couple" by Lucy Cockcroft, The London Telegraph 1/28/09
. . . social workers stepped in after allegedly deciding that the couple, who are aged 59 and 46, were "too old" to look after the children.
They were allegedly stripped of their carer's rights and informed they would be barred from seeing the children altogether unless they agreed to the same-sex adoption.
The case raises fears about state interference in family arrangements, and concerns about the practice of adoption by same-sex couples.
The children have been in foster care for two years while their grandparents battled the social services department in court.
However, the cost of legal bills forced them to drop the case and relinquish their rights.
The grandparents reluctantly agreed to adoption, provided the children were found a "loving mother and father".
They were told last Thursday that two homosexual men had been chosen as the adoptive parents.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
College Will Allow Free Speech Two Hours Each Week
Yuba College settles lawsuit by yielding to student threatened with arrest and expulsion for handing out Gospel tracts
-- From "Student gets last word in speech suit" by Ryan McCarthy, Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, CA) 1/28/09
The college district agreed to pay $25,000 in attorneys fees and change its "free speech" policies.
"Christian students shouldn't have to face jail and expulsion for expressing their beliefs on a public college campus," attorney Heather Hacker with the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom said in a written statement.
The lawsuit had helped put Yuba College first on a conservative group's list of politically correct campus abuse nationwide — in front of the gay English classes at Deerfield High School in Illinois and transgendered activists at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota cited by the Young America's Foundation of Virginia.
The foundation said Yuba College officials were "oblivious to the fact that students don't need permission to exercise the First Amendment's free speech and religious clauses."
Hacker, who represented Loma Rica res dent Ryan Dozier, 20, and filed the suit in federal court in Sacramento against the Yuba Community College District, said in a telephone interview Tuesday that a $1 payment to Dozier is part of the settlement.
Hacker said new college district polices will end a requirement that students obtain a permit to exercise free speech during a two-hour period each week, Hacker said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Student gets last word in speech suit" by Ryan McCarthy, Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, CA) 1/28/09
The college district agreed to pay $25,000 in attorneys fees and change its "free speech" policies.
"Christian students shouldn't have to face jail and expulsion for expressing their beliefs on a public college campus," attorney Heather Hacker with the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom said in a written statement.
The lawsuit had helped put Yuba College first on a conservative group's list of politically correct campus abuse nationwide — in front of the gay English classes at Deerfield High School in Illinois and transgendered activists at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota cited by the Young America's Foundation of Virginia.
The foundation said Yuba College officials were "oblivious to the fact that students don't need permission to exercise the First Amendment's free speech and religious clauses."
Hacker, who represented Loma Rica res dent Ryan Dozier, 20, and filed the suit in federal court in Sacramento against the Yuba Community College District, said in a telephone interview Tuesday that a $1 payment to Dozier is part of the settlement.
Hacker said new college district polices will end a requirement that students obtain a permit to exercise free speech during a two-hour period each week, Hacker said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Nancy Pelosi's 'Condom Stimulus' Repels Obama
White House spokesman says President didn't suggest contraceptives to save tax dollars
-- From "Backing Away from Pelosi, White House Says Birth Control Funding in Stimulus Bill Was Not Obama's Idea" by Fred Lucas, Staff Writer CNSNews.com 1/26/09
The Obama White House on Monday backed away from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s support for increased federal funding of contraception in the $825-billion stimulus bill now under consideration by Congress.
“The principles of what he thought should be in the package--that wasn’t part of that,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton told CNSNews.com.
The provision in the draft legislation would expand federal funding for contraception through Medicaid, allowing those not poor enough to be currently eligible for Medicaid to nonetheless qualify for the contraception aid.
A program created during the Clinton administration allows states to seek a waiver to offer Medicaid “family planning” services to those who are otherwise not qualified for Medicaid. When states get a waiver, the federal government matches state Medicaid family planning funds with $9 in federal money for every $1 the state spends.
Under the provision in the stimulus package supported by Speaker Pelosi, states would no longer need to apply for a waiver. All 50 states would be given 9-1 federal matching funds for their Medicaid-funded contraceptives.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Monday, January 26, 2009
House Speaker Pelosi Claims Condoms Save Tax Dollars
Question: What is Ms. Pelosi implying? How does contraception cut government spending?
There can be only one answer: Reducing the births of low income citizens, would lower the costs of such government relief programs. Apparently, Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger has been reincarnated.
Congresswoman Pelosi: "Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."
There can be only one answer: Reducing the births of low income citizens, would lower the costs of such government relief programs. Apparently, Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger has been reincarnated.
Congresswoman Pelosi: "Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."
Can't Find a Bible in the Obama White House?
The Evangelical Alliance is to send a new Bible to US President Barack Obama after White House staff were reportedly unable to find one for his second swearing in.
-- From "Evangelical Alliance to send new Bible to Obama" by Jenna Lyle, Christianity Today 1/23/09
Dr Krish Kandiah, Director of Churches in Mission for the Evangelical Alliance, said he will send a copy of Bible Society’s Poverty and Justice Bible to Obama to make sure he always has a Bible to hand in the future.
“President Obama’s commitment to the scripture was obvious during his inaugural address, when he quoted Paul’s letter to the Corinthians - so when we heard he didn’t swear on a Bible the second time, we could only assume it was because he couldn’t find one,” said Dr Kandiah.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Evangelical Alliance to send new Bible to Obama" by Jenna Lyle, Christianity Today 1/23/09
Dr Krish Kandiah, Director of Churches in Mission for the Evangelical Alliance, said he will send a copy of Bible Society’s Poverty and Justice Bible to Obama to make sure he always has a Bible to hand in the future.
“President Obama’s commitment to the scripture was obvious during his inaugural address, when he quoted Paul’s letter to the Corinthians - so when we heard he didn’t swear on a Bible the second time, we could only assume it was because he couldn’t find one,” said Dr Kandiah.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Obama Claims to Reduce Abortions by Flooding Tax Dollars to Planned Parenthood
In the dark of night, after 7:00pm on Friday (planned for minimal news coverage), President Obama funded international abortion services (without voter input), thus overturning a pillar of the George W. Bush presidency.
-- From "Obama Reverses Rules on U.S. Abortion Aid" by Peter Baker, New York Times 1/24/09
The executive order that Mr. Obama signed reverses one of the first measures enacted by Mr. Bush when he took over the White House eight years ago and capped an opening-week flurry of action intended to signal a sharp break from the past in domestic and foreign arenas.
In a written statement, Mr. Obama said he would work with Congress to restore financial support for the United Nations Population Fund. But he bemoaned the “politicization” of abortion and promised to reach out to all sides to initiate a new dialogue about reducing unintended pregnancies.
The restrictions Mr. Obama lifted on Friday barred the United States Agency for International Development from providing money to any international nongovernmental organization that “performs or actively promotes abortion as a method of family planning” in foreign countries, and covered a wide range of activities, including providing advice, counseling or information regarding abortion. The restrictions did not apply to counseling for abortions in the case of rape, incest or danger to the life of the pregnant woman.
Abortion opponents condemned Friday’s order, calling it an unnecessarily divisive way for a president preaching unity to start his administration. “President Obama will be remembered forever not just as a smart, savvy, gifted and eloquent leader — but as the Abortion President,” Representative Christopher H. Smith, Republican of New Jersey and co-chairman of the House Bipartisan Pro-Life Caucus, said in a written statement.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Obama Reverses Rules on U.S. Abortion Aid" by Peter Baker, New York Times 1/24/09
The executive order that Mr. Obama signed reverses one of the first measures enacted by Mr. Bush when he took over the White House eight years ago and capped an opening-week flurry of action intended to signal a sharp break from the past in domestic and foreign arenas.
In a written statement, Mr. Obama said he would work with Congress to restore financial support for the United Nations Population Fund. But he bemoaned the “politicization” of abortion and promised to reach out to all sides to initiate a new dialogue about reducing unintended pregnancies.
The restrictions Mr. Obama lifted on Friday barred the United States Agency for International Development from providing money to any international nongovernmental organization that “performs or actively promotes abortion as a method of family planning” in foreign countries, and covered a wide range of activities, including providing advice, counseling or information regarding abortion. The restrictions did not apply to counseling for abortions in the case of rape, incest or danger to the life of the pregnant woman.
Abortion opponents condemned Friday’s order, calling it an unnecessarily divisive way for a president preaching unity to start his administration. “President Obama will be remembered forever not just as a smart, savvy, gifted and eloquent leader — but as the Abortion President,” Representative Christopher H. Smith, Republican of New Jersey and co-chairman of the House Bipartisan Pro-Life Caucus, said in a written statement.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Federal Judge Backs Atheist on 'Moment of Silence' in Illinois Schools
"The statute is a subtle effort to force students at impressionable ages to contemplate religion," U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman said in his ruling Wednesday.
-- From "Illinois moment of silence ruled unconstitutional" by Mike Robinson, The Associated Press 1/22/09
The ruling came in a lawsuit designed to bar schools from enforcing the Illinois Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act. It was filed by talk show host Rob Sherman, an outspoken atheist, and his daughter, Dawn, a high school student.
Gettleman's ruling was not a surprise. He had already ruled in favor of Sherman in two previous decisions.
As passed by the [Democrat-controlled] Illinois General Assembly, the law allows students to reflect on the day's activities rather than pray if that is their choice and defenders have said it therefore doesn't force religion on anyone.
But Gettleman backed critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union, who say the law is a thinly disguised effort to bring religion into the schools.
State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Chicago, the chief sponsor of the legislation, said she hoped Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan would appeal.
Last year, a federal court threw out a challenge to a 2003 Texas law that allows children to "reflect, pray, meditate or engage in any other silent activities" for one minute at the beginning of each school day.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn upheld the constitutionality of that law, concluding that "the primary effect of the statute is to institute a moment of silence, not to advance or inhibit religion."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Illinois moment of silence ruled unconstitutional" by Mike Robinson, The Associated Press 1/22/09
The ruling came in a lawsuit designed to bar schools from enforcing the Illinois Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act. It was filed by talk show host Rob Sherman, an outspoken atheist, and his daughter, Dawn, a high school student.
Gettleman's ruling was not a surprise. He had already ruled in favor of Sherman in two previous decisions.
As passed by the [Democrat-controlled] Illinois General Assembly, the law allows students to reflect on the day's activities rather than pray if that is their choice and defenders have said it therefore doesn't force religion on anyone.
But Gettleman backed critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union, who say the law is a thinly disguised effort to bring religion into the schools.
State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Chicago, the chief sponsor of the legislation, said she hoped Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan would appeal.
Last year, a federal court threw out a challenge to a 2003 Texas law that allows children to "reflect, pray, meditate or engage in any other silent activities" for one minute at the beginning of each school day.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn upheld the constitutionality of that law, concluding that "the primary effect of the statute is to institute a moment of silence, not to advance or inhibit religion."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Hauled into Court for Expressing Opinion on Religion
A Dutch court has ordered prosecutors to put a right-wing politician on trial for making anti-Islamic statements.
-- From "Islam film Dutch MP to be charged" BBC News 1/21/09
Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders made a controversial film last year equating Islam with violence and has likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.
The opening scenes of Fitna - a Koranic term sometimes translated as "strife" - show a copy of the holy book followed by footage of the bomb attacks on the US on 11 September 2001, London in July 2005 and Madrid in March 2004.
"In a democratic system, hate speech is considered so serious that it is in the general interest to... draw a clear line," the court in Amsterdam said.
Mr Wilders said the judgement was an "attack on the freedom of expression".
"Participation in the public debate has become a dangerous activity. If you give your opinion, you risk being prosecuted," he said.
The three judges said that they had weighed Mr Wilders's "one-sided generalisations" against his right to free speech, and ruled that he had gone beyond the normal leeway granted to politicians.
"The court also considers appropriate criminal prosecution for insulting Muslim worshippers because of comparisons between Islam and Nazism made by Wilders," [the court said in a statement.]
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said at the time that the film wrongly equated Islam with violence and served "no purpose other than to offend".
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Islam film Dutch MP to be charged" BBC News 1/21/09
Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders made a controversial film last year equating Islam with violence and has likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.
The opening scenes of Fitna - a Koranic term sometimes translated as "strife" - show a copy of the holy book followed by footage of the bomb attacks on the US on 11 September 2001, London in July 2005 and Madrid in March 2004.
"In a democratic system, hate speech is considered so serious that it is in the general interest to... draw a clear line," the court in Amsterdam said.
Mr Wilders said the judgement was an "attack on the freedom of expression".
"Participation in the public debate has become a dangerous activity. If you give your opinion, you risk being prosecuted," he said.
The three judges said that they had weighed Mr Wilders's "one-sided generalisations" against his right to free speech, and ruled that he had gone beyond the normal leeway granted to politicians.
"The court also considers appropriate criminal prosecution for insulting Muslim worshippers because of comparisons between Islam and Nazism made by Wilders," [the court said in a statement.]
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said at the time that the film wrongly equated Islam with violence and served "no purpose other than to offend".
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Texas Board of Ed Omits Criticism of Darwinism
Board feared that critique of evolution would eventually lead to teaching science without prejudice
-- From "State Board of Education votes to drop evolution 'weaknesses' from Texas science curriculum" by Terrence Stutz, The Dallas Morning News 1/22/09
In a major defeat for evolution critics, a sharply divided State Board of Education voted 7-7 on Thursday to follow the advice of a panel of science educators and drop a long-time requirement that “weaknesses” in the theory of evolution be taught in high school science classes.
Under the science curriculum standards tentatively adopted by the board, biology teachers and biology textbooks would no longer have to cover the “strengths and weaknesses” of Charles Darwin’s theory on how humans evolved.
Rep. Barbara Cargill, R-The Woodlands, who supported the weaknesses requirement, said there have been “significant challenges” to the theory of evolution and she cited a recent news article in which a European scientist disputed Darwin’s “tree of life” showing common ancestors for all living things.
Board member Ken Mercer, R-San Antonio, who also supported the requirement, described the debate as a battle about “academic freedom” and “freedom of speech” over whether students can thoroughly examine evolution.
“The other side has a history of fraud,” he said. “Those arguing against us have a bad history of lies.”
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Oprah Gives Limelight to Pro-homosexual 'Pastors'
“From my perspective, we are coming up with no longer ‘the’ American pastor but an assortment of pastors who are called upon to discuss and advise on moral and social issues. I think that this is a great beginning.”
Where's the response to this from our evangelical pastors?
-- From "Oprah loves Bacon" by Carl Kozlowski, Pasadena Weekly 1/15/09
As rector of Pasadena’s All Saints Church, the Rev. Ed Bacon is proud that his Episcopal parish is one of the most socially progressive religious institutions in America. Yet . . . he still didn’t expect the whirlwind of praise and controversy that he would generate as a guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” on Jan. 8.
After stating on the show that “being gay is a gift from God,” Bacon and his All Saints staff received thousands of emails from around the world, with most writers thanking him for establishing a new standard of pastoral empathy for the often-shunned homosexual population.
“I think it’s a huge opportunity. We take for granted that a message of toleration and inclusion is what God’s message is about, but a lot of people have never heard this,” said the Rev. Susan Russell, associate pastor at All Saints. “What I find so wonderful is that Ed Bacon [is] able to use this national stage for an inclusive message about the love of God.”
-- From "Oprah tackles new issue: 'Gay is a gift from God'" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 1/19/09
During the original broadcast, Bacon's comment was applauded by another member of Winfrey's panel, Michael Bernard Beckwith, founder and spiritual director of Agape International Spiritual Center in Los Angeles, who agreed and gave a high-five to Bacon.
"You … you are the first two ministers I have ever heard say, 'Being gay is a gift from God,'" said Winfrey.
"You don't know how freeing it felt to hear that statement, and I was sure any gay person that heard it was in awe," one of Winfrey's Internet message board writers reportedly responded. "I want to thank both of them for letting my heart lift up and feel like something in this life, not an abomination."
Rev. Bacon, as well, confessed that he received an avalanche of e-mail and voice mail response, which he says was 30-to-1 appreciative of his comment.
"What I gather is that [the comment] simply unleashed a flood of healing throughout the country," Bacon said. "People were talking about their hearts being healed, and their hearts leaping."
Bacon further explained that he perceives some Christians use the Bible to condemn people, while others use it to love.
Where's the response to this from our evangelical pastors?
-- From "Oprah loves Bacon" by Carl Kozlowski, Pasadena Weekly 1/15/09
As rector of Pasadena’s All Saints Church, the Rev. Ed Bacon is proud that his Episcopal parish is one of the most socially progressive religious institutions in America. Yet . . . he still didn’t expect the whirlwind of praise and controversy that he would generate as a guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” on Jan. 8.
After stating on the show that “being gay is a gift from God,” Bacon and his All Saints staff received thousands of emails from around the world, with most writers thanking him for establishing a new standard of pastoral empathy for the often-shunned homosexual population.
“I think it’s a huge opportunity. We take for granted that a message of toleration and inclusion is what God’s message is about, but a lot of people have never heard this,” said the Rev. Susan Russell, associate pastor at All Saints. “What I find so wonderful is that Ed Bacon [is] able to use this national stage for an inclusive message about the love of God.”
-- From "Oprah tackles new issue: 'Gay is a gift from God'" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 1/19/09
During the original broadcast, Bacon's comment was applauded by another member of Winfrey's panel, Michael Bernard Beckwith, founder and spiritual director of Agape International Spiritual Center in Los Angeles, who agreed and gave a high-five to Bacon.
"You … you are the first two ministers I have ever heard say, 'Being gay is a gift from God,'" said Winfrey.
"You don't know how freeing it felt to hear that statement, and I was sure any gay person that heard it was in awe," one of Winfrey's Internet message board writers reportedly responded. "I want to thank both of them for letting my heart lift up and feel like something in this life, not an abomination."
Rev. Bacon, as well, confessed that he received an avalanche of e-mail and voice mail response, which he says was 30-to-1 appreciative of his comment.
"What I gather is that [the comment] simply unleashed a flood of healing throughout the country," Bacon said. "People were talking about their hearts being healed, and their hearts leaping."
Bacon further explained that he perceives some Christians use the Bible to condemn people, while others use it to love.
Abortionists Recognize Pro-life Shift in Public
As President Obama is inaugurated, the abortion industry plans new rhetoric to fool the gullible American public, as mainstream media stands ready to propagandize
-- From "Abortion Rights Advocates Want Abortion to Be 'Pro-Family'" by Matt Hadro, CNSNews.com 1/20/09
It is time for abortion rights advocates to include a “pro-family” context in their conversations about reproductive rights, according to Malika Saada Saar, executive director of the Rebecca Project for Human Rights.
Saar was a member of a recent panel discussion at the liberal Center for American Progress (CAP) in Washington, D.C., to discuss the topic “Time for a Change in the Reproductive Rights Debate.”
Saar said that much of her generation, the “Roe Generation” that came of age after the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion, has held a view of the abortion-rights movement as “anti-family” and “anti-child.”
“A new leadership that is interested in having a different conversation” has emerged today, she said, referring to the new era that begins when President-elect Barack Obama takes office on Jan. 20.
The opportunity has come to “include a pro-child, pro-mother, pro-family, pro-human rights context to how we talk about our movement,” Saar said.
You really ought to CLICK HERE and read this entire article.
-- From "Abortion Rights Advocates Want Abortion to Be 'Pro-Family'" by Matt Hadro, CNSNews.com 1/20/09
It is time for abortion rights advocates to include a “pro-family” context in their conversations about reproductive rights, according to Malika Saada Saar, executive director of the Rebecca Project for Human Rights.
Saar was a member of a recent panel discussion at the liberal Center for American Progress (CAP) in Washington, D.C., to discuss the topic “Time for a Change in the Reproductive Rights Debate.”
Saar said that much of her generation, the “Roe Generation” that came of age after the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion, has held a view of the abortion-rights movement as “anti-family” and “anti-child.”
“A new leadership that is interested in having a different conversation” has emerged today, she said, referring to the new era that begins when President-elect Barack Obama takes office on Jan. 20.
The opportunity has come to “include a pro-child, pro-mother, pro-family, pro-human rights context to how we talk about our movement,” Saar said.
You really ought to CLICK HERE and read this entire article.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Inauguration Homosexual "Pig Sex Orgy" Cancelled
Under public pressure, D.C. Doubletree/Hilton Hotels boots homosexual organization from conference rooms; concern that public sadomasochistic sex would present health hazards to others, including hotel staff
-- From "D.C. Hotel, Under Pressure, Cancels ’Pig Sex’ Party" by Steve Weinstein, [pro-homosexual] EDGE Editor-In-Chief 1/17/09
Americans for Truth About Homosexuality . . . is claiming something it hasn’t been able to do for some time: a victory over the gay menace. AFTAH has announced that the downtown Washington, D.C., hotel has cancelled a ’pig sex orgy’ scheduled during Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, this weekend (Jan. 16).
"This is a great victory for truth, decency and public health!" [Peter] LaBarbera wrote on his website. "Americans For Truth is vindicated (lies coming from the hotel had many people confused). A big ’Thanks’ to each of you who called the Doubletree and its parent company, Hilton Hotels, urging them to not allow this unbelievably depraved and unhealthy homosexual event to occur in public conference rooms at the Doubletree, a luxurious hotel just blocks from the White House."
LaBarbera said he had contacted the Doubletree’s sales director, who confirmed the lease to a group with the name on the email. The employee also told him that he hadn’t heard of any sex parties. He said such events could not be held in the hotel’s conference rooms, because they are a "public space," LaBarbera said.
Pam Spaulding, on her blog, broke the news that the private group sponsoring the party had to cancel it.
"As many of you know, extreme Christian groups have been pressuring Doubletree to cancel the ’Obama Inauguration Pig Sex Orgy,’" the organizers wrote, according to Spaulding. "For two days, the hotel stood firm while the accusations and falsehoods kept coming in. Just this morning, I told the management of Doubletree how impressed I was that they resisted the calls to shut us down. Unfortunately, the matter escalated to Doubletree Corporate, and the word has come down that they will not allow our event to go on as planned. To say that I am pissed would be an understatement. We have a right to privacy and sexual freedom. I appreciate the efforts of the Centaurs in helping us set this up and fight the cancellation."
EDGE has received no word on whether anyone has set up an alternative event anywhere else.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "D.C. Hotel, Under Pressure, Cancels ’Pig Sex’ Party" by Steve Weinstein, [pro-homosexual] EDGE Editor-In-Chief 1/17/09
Americans for Truth About Homosexuality . . . is claiming something it hasn’t been able to do for some time: a victory over the gay menace. AFTAH has announced that the downtown Washington, D.C., hotel has cancelled a ’pig sex orgy’ scheduled during Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, this weekend (Jan. 16).
"This is a great victory for truth, decency and public health!" [Peter] LaBarbera wrote on his website. "Americans For Truth is vindicated (lies coming from the hotel had many people confused). A big ’Thanks’ to each of you who called the Doubletree and its parent company, Hilton Hotels, urging them to not allow this unbelievably depraved and unhealthy homosexual event to occur in public conference rooms at the Doubletree, a luxurious hotel just blocks from the White House."
LaBarbera said he had contacted the Doubletree’s sales director, who confirmed the lease to a group with the name on the email. The employee also told him that he hadn’t heard of any sex parties. He said such events could not be held in the hotel’s conference rooms, because they are a "public space," LaBarbera said.
Pam Spaulding, on her blog, broke the news that the private group sponsoring the party had to cancel it.
"As many of you know, extreme Christian groups have been pressuring Doubletree to cancel the ’Obama Inauguration Pig Sex Orgy,’" the organizers wrote, according to Spaulding. "For two days, the hotel stood firm while the accusations and falsehoods kept coming in. Just this morning, I told the management of Doubletree how impressed I was that they resisted the calls to shut us down. Unfortunately, the matter escalated to Doubletree Corporate, and the word has come down that they will not allow our event to go on as planned. To say that I am pissed would be an understatement. We have a right to privacy and sexual freedom. I appreciate the efforts of the Centaurs in helping us set this up and fight the cancellation."
EDGE has received no word on whether anyone has set up an alternative event anywhere else.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Bush Declares Sanctity of Life, Obama Silent
“All human life is a gift from our creator that is sacred, unique and worthy of protection. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our country recognizes that each person, including every person waiting to be born, has a special place and purpose in this world,” reads the proclamation [by President Bush].
-- From "Bush: 'Sanctity of Human Life Day'" by Andy Barr, Politico 1/15/09
“The most basic duty of government is to protect the life of the innocent. My administration has been committed to building a culture of life by vigorously promoting adoption and parental notification laws, opposing federal funding for abortions overseas, encouraging teen abstinence and funding crisis pregnancy programs,” the proclamation continues.
“The sanctity of life is written in the hearts of all men and women. On this day and throughout the year, we aspire to build a society in which every child is welcome in life and protected in law. We also encourage more of our fellow Americans to join our just and noble cause. History tells us that with a cause rooted in our deepest principles and appealing to the best instincts of our citizens, we will prevail.”
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Bush: 'Sanctity of Human Life Day'" by Andy Barr, Politico 1/15/09
“The most basic duty of government is to protect the life of the innocent. My administration has been committed to building a culture of life by vigorously promoting adoption and parental notification laws, opposing federal funding for abortions overseas, encouraging teen abstinence and funding crisis pregnancy programs,” the proclamation continues.
“The sanctity of life is written in the hearts of all men and women. On this day and throughout the year, we aspire to build a society in which every child is welcome in life and protected in law. We also encourage more of our fellow Americans to join our just and noble cause. History tells us that with a cause rooted in our deepest principles and appealing to the best instincts of our citizens, we will prevail.”
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Vatican Study Forces Factual Report on Sex Abuse
[Backpage News] . . . During the height of the priest sex abuse scandal, world-wide mainstream media avoided reporting the homosexual root of the problem, but now, while no one's paying attention, the truth is reported.
-- From "Vatican: Gay `behavior' in seminaries declines" by Rachel Zoll, Associated Press 1/15/09
A Vatican evaluation of U.S. Roman Catholic seminaries in response to the clergy sex abuse scandal concluded that administrators have largely been effective in rooting out "homosexual behavior" in the schools, although the agency said it persists.
In a report U.S. bishops released this week, the Vatican agency noted past "difficulties in the area of morality" within seminaries that "usually but not exclusively" involved "homosexual behavior." The evaluators said the appointment of better administrators in diocesan seminaries "has ensured that such difficulties have been overcome."
The evaluators had no such praise for schools run by religious orders, which critics consistently condemn as too liberal on celibacy, homosexuality and church teaching in general. The report said "ambiguity vis-a-vis homosexuality persists" within institutes run by religious orders. The report also cites those schools for failing to fully adhere to Catholic theology.
Nearly one-third of the 40,580 U.S. priests belong to religious orders.
Past studies commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have found that the majority of known victims of abuse by priests in the last 50 years were adolescent boys.
The scandal added fuel to long-simmering debates within the U.S. church about whether seminary faculty truly adhered to Catholic teaching and whether the priesthood was becoming a predominantly gay vocation. There is no exact figure of the number of gay clergy. Estimates vary from 25 percent to 50 percent, according to a review of research on the issue by the Rev. Donald Cozzens, author of "The Changing Face of the Priesthood."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Vatican: Gay `behavior' in seminaries declines" by Rachel Zoll, Associated Press 1/15/09
A Vatican evaluation of U.S. Roman Catholic seminaries in response to the clergy sex abuse scandal concluded that administrators have largely been effective in rooting out "homosexual behavior" in the schools, although the agency said it persists.
In a report U.S. bishops released this week, the Vatican agency noted past "difficulties in the area of morality" within seminaries that "usually but not exclusively" involved "homosexual behavior." The evaluators said the appointment of better administrators in diocesan seminaries "has ensured that such difficulties have been overcome."
The evaluators had no such praise for schools run by religious orders, which critics consistently condemn as too liberal on celibacy, homosexuality and church teaching in general. The report said "ambiguity vis-a-vis homosexuality persists" within institutes run by religious orders. The report also cites those schools for failing to fully adhere to Catholic theology.
Nearly one-third of the 40,580 U.S. priests belong to religious orders.
Past studies commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have found that the majority of known victims of abuse by priests in the last 50 years were adolescent boys.
The scandal added fuel to long-simmering debates within the U.S. church about whether seminary faculty truly adhered to Catholic teaching and whether the priesthood was becoming a predominantly gay vocation. There is no exact figure of the number of gay clergy. Estimates vary from 25 percent to 50 percent, according to a review of research on the issue by the Rev. Donald Cozzens, author of "The Changing Face of the Priesthood."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
NY City Schools to Stop Christmas Discrimination
After years of celebrating Jewish and Muslim holy days with visible symbols in the classroom, now after a lawsuit, New York City Hall plans to allow Christmas nativity scenes as well.
-- From "Battle on Crèches in Schools Goes to City Hall" by Javier C. Hernandez, New York Times, 1/13/09
The New York City Department of Education has long granted [non-Christian] symbols a public place during the holiday season, but has not allowed nativity scenes, because it sees them as purely religious.
Councilman Tony Avella, who in 2007 introduced the resolution asking for the department to change its policy, said the city should be open to giving Christians a religious symbol on a par with the menorah or star and crescent.
“If you believe in fairness and inclusion,” he said, “then you have to say yes to this.”
Three years ago, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the city’s policy. While the appeals court took issue with the city’s characterization of the menorah and star and crescent as secular symbols, it said the policy had been crafted with a secular intent and effect — to promote the diversity of the holiday season — and did not denigrate Christianity. The United States Supreme Court has since declined to take up the matter.
The appeals court, however, left open the possibility that crèches could be considered legal, saying it was not ruling one way or the other on the issue.
William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said he viewed the matter as one of discrimination. For 14 years, Mr. Donohue’s group has erected a life-size nativity scene on city property in Central Park. Mr. Donohue said he did not see the distinction between that and putting one on school grounds.
-- From "Plan allows Nativity at Christmas!" © 2009 WorldNetDaily 1/17/09
According to a report from the Thomas More Law Center, the council heard testimony from law center attorney Brian Rooney and comments from Bill Donohue of the Catholic League this week on a proposal that would end a long-standing policy of discrimination against Christians in the public schools at Christmas.
Rooney said, "The star and crescent and menorah are religious symbols that serve the DOE' secular learning purpose. A crèche is no different. Discrimination is discrimination, and the DOE' policy has the effect of being discriminatory. By excluding the crèche, the DOE' policy current policy is internally inconsistent, objectively hostile and bigoted, and it must be changed."
The resolution was generated after the Thomas More Law Center sued the district on behalf of Andrea Skoros and her two children, Catholics who wanted to display a Nativity scene at Christmas.
The 2nd Circuit Court said the menorah and star and crescent are in fact religious symbols Рcontrary to the DOE policy. Although the court did not rule that displaying a Nativity scene would be unconstitutional, its reasoning allowing for the menorah and star and crescent make clear that if the school system wanted to place a cr̬che in schools, this, too, would be constitutional, the law center said.
To read the entire WorldNetDaily article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Battle on Crèches in Schools Goes to City Hall" by Javier C. Hernandez, New York Times, 1/13/09
The New York City Department of Education has long granted [non-Christian] symbols a public place during the holiday season, but has not allowed nativity scenes, because it sees them as purely religious.
Councilman Tony Avella, who in 2007 introduced the resolution asking for the department to change its policy, said the city should be open to giving Christians a religious symbol on a par with the menorah or star and crescent.
“If you believe in fairness and inclusion,” he said, “then you have to say yes to this.”
Three years ago, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the city’s policy. While the appeals court took issue with the city’s characterization of the menorah and star and crescent as secular symbols, it said the policy had been crafted with a secular intent and effect — to promote the diversity of the holiday season — and did not denigrate Christianity. The United States Supreme Court has since declined to take up the matter.
The appeals court, however, left open the possibility that crèches could be considered legal, saying it was not ruling one way or the other on the issue.
William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said he viewed the matter as one of discrimination. For 14 years, Mr. Donohue’s group has erected a life-size nativity scene on city property in Central Park. Mr. Donohue said he did not see the distinction between that and putting one on school grounds.
-- From "Plan allows Nativity at Christmas!" © 2009 WorldNetDaily 1/17/09
According to a report from the Thomas More Law Center, the council heard testimony from law center attorney Brian Rooney and comments from Bill Donohue of the Catholic League this week on a proposal that would end a long-standing policy of discrimination against Christians in the public schools at Christmas.
Rooney said, "The star and crescent and menorah are religious symbols that serve the DOE' secular learning purpose. A crèche is no different. Discrimination is discrimination, and the DOE' policy has the effect of being discriminatory. By excluding the crèche, the DOE' policy current policy is internally inconsistent, objectively hostile and bigoted, and it must be changed."
The resolution was generated after the Thomas More Law Center sued the district on behalf of Andrea Skoros and her two children, Catholics who wanted to display a Nativity scene at Christmas.
The 2nd Circuit Court said the menorah and star and crescent are in fact religious symbols Рcontrary to the DOE policy. Although the court did not rule that displaying a Nativity scene would be unconstitutional, its reasoning allowing for the menorah and star and crescent make clear that if the school system wanted to place a cr̬che in schools, this, too, would be constitutional, the law center said.
To read the entire WorldNetDaily article, CLICK HERE.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Florida School Faculty Admits Christian Witness
ACLU wins injunction against school by representing two students suing the public school for being "too Christian"
-- From "Officials ordered to stop prayer at schools" by Carmen Paige, Pensacola News Journal 1/13/09
[U.S. District Court Judge Casey Rodgers] has ordered the Santa Rosa County School District to stop promoting religion and prayer in the classroom and at school events.
The ACLU sued the district, Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and former Superintendent John Rogers on behalf of two unnamed Pace High students.
Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick declined to comment on the case. But school and district officials have admitted to the allegations filed by the ACLU.
The lawsuit said the two Pace High School students are offended by the district's support of prayer at school events — including graduation — because it promotes religious beliefs they do not subscribe to and fails to respect their religious choices and beliefs.
Pace resident Tammy Morgan said she understands people have their beliefs. But, she said people do not have to participate when someone is praying.
"I've always loved that we could pray at school," she said. "(The injunction) saddens me. It's a shame."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Officials ordered to stop prayer at schools" by Carmen Paige, Pensacola News Journal 1/13/09
[U.S. District Court Judge Casey Rodgers] has ordered the Santa Rosa County School District to stop promoting religion and prayer in the classroom and at school events.
The ACLU sued the district, Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and former Superintendent John Rogers on behalf of two unnamed Pace High students.
Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick declined to comment on the case. But school and district officials have admitted to the allegations filed by the ACLU.
The lawsuit said the two Pace High School students are offended by the district's support of prayer at school events — including graduation — because it promotes religious beliefs they do not subscribe to and fails to respect their religious choices and beliefs.
Pace resident Tammy Morgan said she understands people have their beliefs. But, she said people do not have to participate when someone is praying.
"I've always loved that we could pray at school," she said. "(The injunction) saddens me. It's a shame."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
School Agrees to Stop Christian Discrimination
A public school that once permitted community organizations to distribute literature to students but barred churches from passing out similar flyers has now relented under pressure from a determined pastor and his legal counsel.
-- From "School backs off religious flyer ban" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 1/3/09
The Maricopa, Ariz., Unified School District formalized a change to a literature distribution policy that previously denied First Baptist Church of Maricopa Pastor Jim Johnson's request to hand out flyers advertising his church's Awana Journey 24 Club, a weekly Bible study program for high school students.
"The district deserves credit for doing the constitutionally correct thing," said attorney Jeremy Tedesco of the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance that defends religious liberty and assisted Johnson in the case. "The decision to modify the policy is a victory for the First Amendment rights of all students and religious groups who merely asked for equal treatment."
When Johnson first submitted the flyer advertising the Bible program to the school district early this year, he was forced to wait nearly five months before the district rejected his distribution request. School officials cited a policy that that allowed nonprofit organizations to distribute literature promoting events and activities "that extend the community's cultural, recreational, artistic, or educational opportunities," but prohibited "material that promotes a particular religious belief" or any "non-school promotional literature soliciting for or promoting participation in … religion."
Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, the school district reversed its decision in Johnson's case, and earlier this month, formally changed its policy.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "School backs off religious flyer ban" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 1/3/09
The Maricopa, Ariz., Unified School District formalized a change to a literature distribution policy that previously denied First Baptist Church of Maricopa Pastor Jim Johnson's request to hand out flyers advertising his church's Awana Journey 24 Club, a weekly Bible study program for high school students.
"The district deserves credit for doing the constitutionally correct thing," said attorney Jeremy Tedesco of the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance that defends religious liberty and assisted Johnson in the case. "The decision to modify the policy is a victory for the First Amendment rights of all students and religious groups who merely asked for equal treatment."
When Johnson first submitted the flyer advertising the Bible program to the school district early this year, he was forced to wait nearly five months before the district rejected his distribution request. School officials cited a policy that that allowed nonprofit organizations to distribute literature promoting events and activities "that extend the community's cultural, recreational, artistic, or educational opportunities," but prohibited "material that promotes a particular religious belief" or any "non-school promotional literature soliciting for or promoting participation in … religion."
Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, the school district reversed its decision in Johnson's case, and earlier this month, formally changed its policy.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Obama to Place Homosexuals in Your Foxhole
President Obama will repeal the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prevents openly homosexual men and women from serving in the military, his spokesman said.
-- From "Obama to repeal 'don't ask, don't tell'" by Chelsea Schilling © 2009 WorldNetDaily 1/15/09
A Michigan resident posted a question on the transition team website asking if Obama intends to end the 15-year-old rule.
"Is the new administration going to get rid of the 'don't ask don't tell' policy?" he asked.
Spokesman Robert Gibbs replied, "[Y]ou don't hear a politician give a one-word answer much, but it's yes."
On his website Change.gov, Obama talked about the nation's "founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."
According to the lead sponsor of a bill that would repeal the law, the policy could be overturned as early as this year.
According to a 2008 [Center for Military Readiness] CMR report, "This would be tantamount to forcing female soldiers to cohabit with men at all times, regardless of the impact on discipline and morale. Stated in gender-neutral terms, in conditions of 'forced intimacy,' a phrase used in current law, persons will be exposed to persons who may be sexually attracted to them."
The group warns the military will begin implementing "diversity training" programs that will force soldiers to accept homosexuality.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Obama to repeal 'don't ask, don't tell'" by Chelsea Schilling © 2009 WorldNetDaily 1/15/09
A Michigan resident posted a question on the transition team website asking if Obama intends to end the 15-year-old rule.
"Is the new administration going to get rid of the 'don't ask don't tell' policy?" he asked.
Spokesman Robert Gibbs replied, "[Y]ou don't hear a politician give a one-word answer much, but it's yes."
On his website Change.gov, Obama talked about the nation's "founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."
According to the lead sponsor of a bill that would repeal the law, the policy could be overturned as early as this year.
According to a 2008 [Center for Military Readiness] CMR report, "This would be tantamount to forcing female soldiers to cohabit with men at all times, regardless of the impact on discipline and morale. Stated in gender-neutral terms, in conditions of 'forced intimacy,' a phrase used in current law, persons will be exposed to persons who may be sexually attracted to them."
The group warns the military will begin implementing "diversity training" programs that will force soldiers to accept homosexuality.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
22-year-old Student Auctions Virginity
Men bid to pay over $3 million to California woman for "one night stand" to pay for her graduate degree in Family and Marriage therapy
-- From "Student auctions off virginity for offers of more than £2.5 million" The Telegraph 1/12/09
The student who has a degree in Women's Studies insisted she was not demeaning herself.
Miss Dylan, from San Diego, California, USA, said she was persuaded to offer herself to the highest bidder after her sister Avia, 23, paid for her own degree after working as a prostitute for three weeks.
She said she had had a lot of attention from a wide range of men, including "weirdos", "those who get really graphically sexual about what they want to do to me" and "lots of polite requests from rich businessmen".
She added: "It's shocking that men will pay so much for someone's virginity, which isn't even prized so highly anymore."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Student auctions off virginity for offers of more than £2.5 million" The Telegraph 1/12/09
The student who has a degree in Women's Studies insisted she was not demeaning herself.
Miss Dylan, from San Diego, California, USA, said she was persuaded to offer herself to the highest bidder after her sister Avia, 23, paid for her own degree after working as a prostitute for three weeks.
She said she had had a lot of attention from a wide range of men, including "weirdos", "those who get really graphically sexual about what they want to do to me" and "lots of polite requests from rich businessmen".
She added: "It's shocking that men will pay so much for someone's virginity, which isn't even prized so highly anymore."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Obama Pressured to Advance Abortion and Sexualization of Children
A coalition of pro-abortion groups has submitted a proposal of steps President-elect Barack Obama can take during his first 100 days in office to advance a pro-abortion agenda.
-- From "Pro-Abortion Groups Post ‘Wish List’ on Obama’s Web Site" by Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer, CNSNews.com 1/14/09
A coalition of pro-abortion groups, including Planned Parenthood, the National Organization for Women, the Guttmacher Institute, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the American Civil Liberties Union, have posted a reproductive health wish list on the Obama Transition Team Web site, change.gov.
The list outlines the steps the groups think the next president should take during his first 100 days in office to promote and fund abortion in America and around the globe.
The 50-plus-page document, “Advancing Reproductive Rights and Health in a New Administration,” is a laundry list of actions that the coalition says president-elect Barack Obama should put in place to “advance a reproductive health agenda that will make a profound difference in the lives and health of women, men and family in the United States and around the world.”
The actions the document calls for partly include [increasing federal funding of Planned Parenthood by more than double; funding of abortions for Medicaid-eligible women, federal employees, etc.; de-funding abstinence-only programs; removing age restrictions for over-the-counter emergency contraceptives; and more.]
[Also, the document] calls on Congress to pass the Freedom of Choice Act [FOCA], which would strike down all state and federal laws that restrict abortion and make federally funded abortions available in all 50 states.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Pro-Abortion Groups Post ‘Wish List’ on Obama’s Web Site" by Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer, CNSNews.com 1/14/09
A coalition of pro-abortion groups, including Planned Parenthood, the National Organization for Women, the Guttmacher Institute, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the American Civil Liberties Union, have posted a reproductive health wish list on the Obama Transition Team Web site, change.gov.
The list outlines the steps the groups think the next president should take during his first 100 days in office to promote and fund abortion in America and around the globe.
The 50-plus-page document, “Advancing Reproductive Rights and Health in a New Administration,” is a laundry list of actions that the coalition says president-elect Barack Obama should put in place to “advance a reproductive health agenda that will make a profound difference in the lives and health of women, men and family in the United States and around the world.”
The actions the document calls for partly include [increasing federal funding of Planned Parenthood by more than double; funding of abortions for Medicaid-eligible women, federal employees, etc.; de-funding abstinence-only programs; removing age restrictions for over-the-counter emergency contraceptives; and more.]
[Also, the document] calls on Congress to pass the Freedom of Choice Act [FOCA], which would strike down all state and federal laws that restrict abortion and make federally funded abortions available in all 50 states.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Supreme Court OKs Public Display of Abortion Photos
Pro-life activists have the right to reveal the horrors of the abortion industry, according to an appeals court ruling that the U.S. Supreme Court allowed to stand.
-- From "Dead-baby photos protected by 1st Amendment" © 2009 WorldNetDaily 1/13/09
The high court announced it will not review a decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that affirmed the constitutional rights of pro-life activists to display in public photographs of the work of abortionists, notes the non-profit Thomas More Law Center, which handled the case.
"This is a tremendous victory for the First Amendment and the pro-life movement," said trial counsel Robert Muise. "The Supreme Court's decision leaves the 9th Circuit's ruling undisturbed, ensuring that there is no double standard for pro-life speech and affirming the fundamental principle of the First Amendment that government officials cannot prohibit silent, peaceful, non-obstructive, political speech on the public streets simply because certain listeners or viewers find the speech offensive."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Dead-baby photos protected by 1st Amendment" © 2009 WorldNetDaily 1/13/09
The high court announced it will not review a decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that affirmed the constitutional rights of pro-life activists to display in public photographs of the work of abortionists, notes the non-profit Thomas More Law Center, which handled the case.
"This is a tremendous victory for the First Amendment and the pro-life movement," said trial counsel Robert Muise. "The Supreme Court's decision leaves the 9th Circuit's ruling undisturbed, ensuring that there is no double standard for pro-life speech and affirming the fundamental principle of the First Amendment that government officials cannot prohibit silent, peaceful, non-obstructive, political speech on the public streets simply because certain listeners or viewers find the speech offensive."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases at Record High Levels in U.S.
Left untreated, chlamydia and gonorrhea can result in . . . a condition that causes as many as 50,000 U.S. women to become infertile each year . . .
-- From "U.S. Chlamydia Infections Hit All-Time High" by Steven Reinberg, HealthDay News Reporter 1/13/09
The number of Americans newly infected with the sexually transmitted diseases chlamydia and syphilis continues to rise, federal health officials reported Tuesday, with chlamydia infections hitting a record million-plus new cases annually.
"The bad news from last year has continued," said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., director of the CDC's Division of STD Prevention. "These infections remain at very high levels, and frankly, unacceptably high."
But these numbers are probably just the tip of the iceberg, Douglas noted. The CDC estimates that only half of all new chlamydia and gonorrhea infections are reported, bringing the actual number of infected people to more than 3 million.
The report found continued racial disparities for STD cases. Gonorrhea was 19 times more common among blacks than whites; chlamydia was eight times more common; and syphilis was seven times more common, Douglas said.
The report also found continued increases in rates of syphilis. On the verge of elimination just a decade ago, syphilis rates began increasing in 2001 and rose 15.2 percent between 2006 and 2007, Douglas said.
"We got set back in a recurrence of syphilis among men who have sex with men," Douglas said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "U.S. Chlamydia Infections Hit All-Time High" by Steven Reinberg, HealthDay News Reporter 1/13/09
The number of Americans newly infected with the sexually transmitted diseases chlamydia and syphilis continues to rise, federal health officials reported Tuesday, with chlamydia infections hitting a record million-plus new cases annually.
"The bad news from last year has continued," said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., director of the CDC's Division of STD Prevention. "These infections remain at very high levels, and frankly, unacceptably high."
But these numbers are probably just the tip of the iceberg, Douglas noted. The CDC estimates that only half of all new chlamydia and gonorrhea infections are reported, bringing the actual number of infected people to more than 3 million.
The report found continued racial disparities for STD cases. Gonorrhea was 19 times more common among blacks than whites; chlamydia was eight times more common; and syphilis was seven times more common, Douglas said.
The report also found continued increases in rates of syphilis. On the verge of elimination just a decade ago, syphilis rates began increasing in 2001 and rose 15.2 percent between 2006 and 2007, Douglas said.
"We got set back in a recurrence of syphilis among men who have sex with men," Douglas said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Homosexual Activists Label Pope a Nazi
San Francisco Catholic church graffiti included a swastika painted along with the Pope's name, in reference to California's Proposition 8
-- From "San Francisco Catholic Church Attacked by Pro-Homosexual Marriage Vandals" by Michael W. Chapman, Managing Editor CNSNews.com 1/13/09
A Catholic church in San Francisco was recently vandalized apparently by pro-homosexual marriage activists, and part of the blame for the damage rests with Mayor Gavin Newsom and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, according to the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.
“This was not an isolated event in terms of how San Francisco treats Catholics,” Susan A. Fani, communications director for the Catholic League, told CNSNews.com. “For a city that’s very open and into diversity, we find that it is a hostile atmosphere for Catholicism.”
Newsom and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors are partly to blame for the attack on Holy Redeemer Catholic Church – which is being investigated as a “hate crime” by the police – because Newsom and the board “have shown nothing but contempt for the First Amendment rights of Catholics,” said the Catholic League in a statement.
Holy Redeemer Catholic Church is in San Francisco’s Castro district, a largely homosexual community, and the church has a reputation as being “gay friendly” because of its AIDS support group and apparent tolerance for the homosexual lifestyle.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Kansas Clinic Lies to Perform Illegal Abortion
Pro-lifers go undercover to expose late term abortionist George Tiller faking sonogram
-- From "Stung! Abortionist fakes sonogram to avoid age limit" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 1/12/09
While Kansas doctor George Tiller is still fighting accusations of illegally aborting 19 viable babies, an undercover sting operation conducted by a pro-life organization revealed his clinic intentionally underestimating fetal age and viability to dodge state laws.
According to a sworn statement, a pregnant mother calling herself "Shaye" received a sonogram from Tiller's clinic determining her baby was beyond the allowed legal age of abortion, but the test's administrator "threw it into a trashcan" and recalculated a lesser gestational age. The clinic scheduled Shaye for an abortion four days later.
Shaye, working undercover with the pro-life organization Operation Rescue, later that day received two additional sonograms from other medical centers, both showing the baby beyond the legal abortion age. Further, even at the age recalculated by Tiller's clinic, the abortion four days later would have still been beyond the age of viability.
According to Kansas law, if a clinic determines a fetus past the age of viability – a gestational age of 22 weeks, or 23 with sonogram equipment – a second, independent physician must agree that the abortion is medically necessary.
In court testimony last week, following a six-week break in the Tiller case, former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline said that he had discovered evidence that Planned Parenthood had conspired to circumvent Kansas abortion law by referring women to Tiller for late-term procedures, even though the women were over legal threshold of 22 weeks gestation.
If convicted in the ongoing case, Tiller could face 19 years in jail.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Stung! Abortionist fakes sonogram to avoid age limit" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 1/12/09
While Kansas doctor George Tiller is still fighting accusations of illegally aborting 19 viable babies, an undercover sting operation conducted by a pro-life organization revealed his clinic intentionally underestimating fetal age and viability to dodge state laws.
According to a sworn statement, a pregnant mother calling herself "Shaye" received a sonogram from Tiller's clinic determining her baby was beyond the allowed legal age of abortion, but the test's administrator "threw it into a trashcan" and recalculated a lesser gestational age. The clinic scheduled Shaye for an abortion four days later.
Shaye, working undercover with the pro-life organization Operation Rescue, later that day received two additional sonograms from other medical centers, both showing the baby beyond the legal abortion age. Further, even at the age recalculated by Tiller's clinic, the abortion four days later would have still been beyond the age of viability.
According to Kansas law, if a clinic determines a fetus past the age of viability – a gestational age of 22 weeks, or 23 with sonogram equipment – a second, independent physician must agree that the abortion is medically necessary.
In court testimony last week, following a six-week break in the Tiller case, former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline said that he had discovered evidence that Planned Parenthood had conspired to circumvent Kansas abortion law by referring women to Tiller for late-term procedures, even though the women were over legal threshold of 22 weeks gestation.
If convicted in the ongoing case, Tiller could face 19 years in jail.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Obama's 'Pluralistic Christian' Reign?
Barack Obama will be giving platform to Pastor Rick Warren's pro-life, traditional marriage message, and to Episcopal Bishop Gay-Gene Robinson, as well as to Rev. Sharon E. Watkins, who believes everything (or nothing).
-- From "Gay NH bishop to offer prayer at inaugural event" Associated Press, 1/12/09
The first openly gay Episcopal bishop will offer a prayer at the Lincoln Memorial at an inaugural event for President-elect Barack Obama.
The selection of New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson for Sunday's event follows weeks of criticism from gay-rights groups over Obama's decision to have the Rev. Rick Warren give the invocation at his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Robinson said last month the choice of Warren was like a slap in the face. In an interview with the Concord Monitor, he said he doesn't believe Obama invited him in response to the Warren criticism but said his inclusion won't go unnoticed by the gay and lesbian community.
Clark Stevens, a spokesman for the inaugural committee, said Robinson was invited because he had offered his advice to Obama during the campaign and because of his church work.
. . . Robinson said he doesn't yet know what he'll say, but he knows he won't use a Bible [saying,] "This is a prayer for the whole nation."
-- From "Obama Names Minister to Lead Prayer Service" by Laurie Goodstein, New York Times 1/11/09
President-elect Barack Obama has selected the Rev. Sharon E. Watkins to deliver the sermon at the national prayer service that is held the day after the inauguration.
Ms. Watkins, the first woman ever selected to lead the service, is the president and general minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a small, liberal-leaning Protestant denomination with 3,754 congregations and about 690,000 members in the United States and Canada. Ms. Watkins was elected to the post in 2005, the first woman ever chosen to lead a mainline Protestant denomination.
Linda Douglass, the chief spokeswoman for the inaugural committee, said the choice of Ms. Watkins was not an attempt to mollify critics of Mr. Obama’s decision to have the Rev. Rick Warren give the invocation at the inauguration.
“She was chosen before the inaugural program was even announced,” Ms. Douglass said of Ms. Watkins. “Her appeal is that she delivers a message of unity and inclusivity and tolerance and hope — and those are all central themes we’ve heard from the president-elect.”
Like many mainline Protestant churches, the Disciples is not unified on the issue [of same-sex marriage]. As a congregational church, each church in the denomination is free to set its own policies.
Ms. Watkins said in a telephone interview that the church in Bartlesville, Okla., where she served as minister before becoming president, could not reach a consensus on whether to allow gay union ceremonies and decided to hold off on a decision.
“We really emphasize the responsibility as well as the freedom of individuals within the church to study Scripture to prayerfully pursue their own spiritual journey,” Ms. Watkins said. “That means we end up being incredibly diverse politically, theologically and socially.
The sermon will be 10 to 15 minutes and will not be vetted by the Obama team, Ms. Watkins said. She added that she would preach in a way that was authentic to her Christian tradition but did not exclude people of other faiths.
To read the entire New York Times article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Gay NH bishop to offer prayer at inaugural event" Associated Press, 1/12/09
The first openly gay Episcopal bishop will offer a prayer at the Lincoln Memorial at an inaugural event for President-elect Barack Obama.
The selection of New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson for Sunday's event follows weeks of criticism from gay-rights groups over Obama's decision to have the Rev. Rick Warren give the invocation at his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Robinson said last month the choice of Warren was like a slap in the face. In an interview with the Concord Monitor, he said he doesn't believe Obama invited him in response to the Warren criticism but said his inclusion won't go unnoticed by the gay and lesbian community.
Clark Stevens, a spokesman for the inaugural committee, said Robinson was invited because he had offered his advice to Obama during the campaign and because of his church work.
. . . Robinson said he doesn't yet know what he'll say, but he knows he won't use a Bible [saying,] "This is a prayer for the whole nation."
-- From "Obama Names Minister to Lead Prayer Service" by Laurie Goodstein, New York Times 1/11/09
President-elect Barack Obama has selected the Rev. Sharon E. Watkins to deliver the sermon at the national prayer service that is held the day after the inauguration.
Ms. Watkins, the first woman ever selected to lead the service, is the president and general minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a small, liberal-leaning Protestant denomination with 3,754 congregations and about 690,000 members in the United States and Canada. Ms. Watkins was elected to the post in 2005, the first woman ever chosen to lead a mainline Protestant denomination.
Linda Douglass, the chief spokeswoman for the inaugural committee, said the choice of Ms. Watkins was not an attempt to mollify critics of Mr. Obama’s decision to have the Rev. Rick Warren give the invocation at the inauguration.
“She was chosen before the inaugural program was even announced,” Ms. Douglass said of Ms. Watkins. “Her appeal is that she delivers a message of unity and inclusivity and tolerance and hope — and those are all central themes we’ve heard from the president-elect.”
Like many mainline Protestant churches, the Disciples is not unified on the issue [of same-sex marriage]. As a congregational church, each church in the denomination is free to set its own policies.
Ms. Watkins said in a telephone interview that the church in Bartlesville, Okla., where she served as minister before becoming president, could not reach a consensus on whether to allow gay union ceremonies and decided to hold off on a decision.
“We really emphasize the responsibility as well as the freedom of individuals within the church to study Scripture to prayerfully pursue their own spiritual journey,” Ms. Watkins said. “That means we end up being incredibly diverse politically, theologically and socially.
The sermon will be 10 to 15 minutes and will not be vetted by the Obama team, Ms. Watkins said. She added that she would preach in a way that was authentic to her Christian tradition but did not exclude people of other faiths.
To read the entire New York Times article, CLICK HERE.
Florida City's 'Playground Perverts' Rights Law
Gainesville residents attempt to repeal year-old law opening all public restroom doors to men in dresses, men in pants, men in heat . . .
-- From "Florida Conservatives Fight for Repeal of Transgender Restroom Rule" Associated Press 1/10/09
Foes want to repeal the new protection with a March 24 ballot measure that has divided Gainesville, a generally gay-friendly university city surrounded by staunchly conservative north Florida.
Those who support the transgender protections say their opponents are really unleashing a broader attack on the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender individuals in general.
The city commission approved the restroom provision by a 4-3 vote a year ago. Before the ink could dry, Bible-quoting opponents angrily began working for its repeal.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force notes 108 cities and counties nationwide have similar transgender protections. An attempt to repeal an ordinance in Montgomery County, Md., failed when a court ruled opponents did not collect enough signatures to place it on the ballot.
. . . anti-discrimination protections for people who change their sexual orientation are good for business and foster diversity [noting] that 433 of the Fortune 500 companies have policies covering sexual orientation and 153 cover gender identity.
Cain Davis, chairman of Citizens for Good Public Policy, said the issue is about regulating a "government gone wild" and ensuring public safety, charging that sexual predators could now simply enter a women's restroom claiming to be a transgender individual.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Florida Conservatives Fight for Repeal of Transgender Restroom Rule" Associated Press 1/10/09
Foes want to repeal the new protection with a March 24 ballot measure that has divided Gainesville, a generally gay-friendly university city surrounded by staunchly conservative north Florida.
Those who support the transgender protections say their opponents are really unleashing a broader attack on the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender individuals in general.
The city commission approved the restroom provision by a 4-3 vote a year ago. Before the ink could dry, Bible-quoting opponents angrily began working for its repeal.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force notes 108 cities and counties nationwide have similar transgender protections. An attempt to repeal an ordinance in Montgomery County, Md., failed when a court ruled opponents did not collect enough signatures to place it on the ballot.
. . . anti-discrimination protections for people who change their sexual orientation are good for business and foster diversity [noting] that 433 of the Fortune 500 companies have policies covering sexual orientation and 153 cover gender identity.
Cain Davis, chairman of Citizens for Good Public Policy, said the issue is about regulating a "government gone wild" and ensuring public safety, charging that sexual predators could now simply enter a women's restroom claiming to be a transgender individual.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
UK On-air Pastor Fired for Defending Christianity
When the government requires "fairness and balance" in broadcast media, the result is the loss of religious liberty and the end of broadcast Christian witness.
Urge your congressman to support The Broadcaster Freedom Act (HR 2905)
Illinois residents CLICK HERE to E-mail your congressman
-- From "Presenter sacked for 'supporting the Bible's teachings' on radio" by Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter, The Telegraph 1/11/09
The Rev Mahboob Masih, a Church minister [and community radio show host], claims he was unfairly dismissed and that the action taken against him was a case of religious discrimination.
After a lively religious debate, the radio station management took exception to the content of the discussion. The Rev Masih was accused of not being balanced enough on air. However, Awaz FM refuses to detail anything specific he said that might have offended its listeners.
The Rev Masih and his co-presenter Afzal Umeed were discussing the views of a prominent Muslim speaker, Zakir Naik, who the Rev Masih accuses of belittling the Christian faith on Peace TV, a digital channel.
The Rev Masih says that Mr Umeed asked Asif Mall, a Christian on-air guest, about Mr Naik's remarks. Mr Mall said Mr Naik's comments showed a lack of knowledge of the Bible and of the Koran.
In particular, Mr Mall disputed a claim by Mr Naik that Jesus Christ was not the only prophet to be "the way, the truth and the life".
. . . Javaid Ullah, the director of the radio station . . . said that they had "failed to remain neutral and as such allowed the guest to make comments which led in [to] offending various members of the community."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Urge your congressman to support The Broadcaster Freedom Act (HR 2905)
Illinois residents CLICK HERE to E-mail your congressman
-- From "Presenter sacked for 'supporting the Bible's teachings' on radio" by Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter, The Telegraph 1/11/09
The Rev Mahboob Masih, a Church minister [and community radio show host], claims he was unfairly dismissed and that the action taken against him was a case of religious discrimination.
After a lively religious debate, the radio station management took exception to the content of the discussion. The Rev Masih was accused of not being balanced enough on air. However, Awaz FM refuses to detail anything specific he said that might have offended its listeners.
The Rev Masih and his co-presenter Afzal Umeed were discussing the views of a prominent Muslim speaker, Zakir Naik, who the Rev Masih accuses of belittling the Christian faith on Peace TV, a digital channel.
The Rev Masih says that Mr Umeed asked Asif Mall, a Christian on-air guest, about Mr Naik's remarks. Mr Mall said Mr Naik's comments showed a lack of knowledge of the Bible and of the Koran.
In particular, Mr Mall disputed a claim by Mr Naik that Jesus Christ was not the only prophet to be "the way, the truth and the life".
. . . Javaid Ullah, the director of the radio station . . . said that they had "failed to remain neutral and as such allowed the guest to make comments which led in [to] offending various members of the community."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
California Pastor Leads Church on Local Mission
Christians experience reinvigoration of their family and their faith as they impact the culture where they live.
Church members say: "I saw it as a crossroads in our country. I feel like for the sake of our country and our family I had to stand up and be heard." . . . "A lot of my friends are mad at me, but I honestly don't care. I'm standing up for what is right."
-- From "Christian family fights on for Prop. 8" by Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times 1/10/09
Abel Ferreira and his wife, Robbie, never considered themselves political activists.
But when Proposition 8 landed on November's ballot, the Spring Valley couple did everything they could to ensure that the constitutional amendment [in favor of biblical marriage] got passed. They made phone calls. They attended prayer rallies. They fasted for 40 days.
For the Ferreiras, as for so many other people motivated to action by Proposition 8, the measure wasn't just a matter of politics. It was about family, faith and the future of the country.
The Ferreiras's fight for Proposition 8 began less than two miles away, at Skyline Church. . . . Pastor Jim Garlow, one of the state's most vocal proponents of the measure, was crucial in collecting the more than 600,000 signatures required to get the proposition on the ballot.
One Sunday about a year ago, Garlow told his congregation what he thought the consequences of legalizing same-sex marriage would be.
"The thing that affected me the most was knowing that my grandkids are going to be taught this ungodly and sinful act as if it's OK," Robbie said. "I thought from that point on, 'No. I will fight for them. I don't have them yet, but I'm going to fight for them.'"
A few months ago, the Ferreiras's 18-year-old daughter, Brooklyn, began posting her opinions about gay marriage and her support of Proposition 8 on her MySpace profile.
She was met with a flood of criticism from friends and strangers, she said.
Robbie points out that Skyline Church offers counseling for people who are "struggling with same-sex attraction," and its pastor has told his congregation to save gay people by giving them love.
"We hate the sin," Abel often declares, "not the sinner."
In April, after hearing Engle preach at Skyline, Robbie formed a Bible study group.
Every Sunday evening, about a dozen teenagers and people in their 20s meet in the Ferreiras's living room to discuss faith.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Church members say: "I saw it as a crossroads in our country. I feel like for the sake of our country and our family I had to stand up and be heard." . . . "A lot of my friends are mad at me, but I honestly don't care. I'm standing up for what is right."
-- From "Christian family fights on for Prop. 8" by Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times 1/10/09
Abel Ferreira and his wife, Robbie, never considered themselves political activists.
But when Proposition 8 landed on November's ballot, the Spring Valley couple did everything they could to ensure that the constitutional amendment [in favor of biblical marriage] got passed. They made phone calls. They attended prayer rallies. They fasted for 40 days.
For the Ferreiras, as for so many other people motivated to action by Proposition 8, the measure wasn't just a matter of politics. It was about family, faith and the future of the country.
The Ferreiras's fight for Proposition 8 began less than two miles away, at Skyline Church. . . . Pastor Jim Garlow, one of the state's most vocal proponents of the measure, was crucial in collecting the more than 600,000 signatures required to get the proposition on the ballot.
One Sunday about a year ago, Garlow told his congregation what he thought the consequences of legalizing same-sex marriage would be.
"The thing that affected me the most was knowing that my grandkids are going to be taught this ungodly and sinful act as if it's OK," Robbie said. "I thought from that point on, 'No. I will fight for them. I don't have them yet, but I'm going to fight for them.'"
A few months ago, the Ferreiras's 18-year-old daughter, Brooklyn, began posting her opinions about gay marriage and her support of Proposition 8 on her MySpace profile.
She was met with a flood of criticism from friends and strangers, she said.
Robbie points out that Skyline Church offers counseling for people who are "struggling with same-sex attraction," and its pastor has told his congregation to save gay people by giving them love.
"We hate the sin," Abel often declares, "not the sinner."
In April, after hearing Engle preach at Skyline, Robbie formed a Bible study group.
Every Sunday evening, about a dozen teenagers and people in their 20s meet in the Ferreiras's living room to discuss faith.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Belgium, a Glimpse of America's Future?
In Belgium, if the government allows your child to reach their first birthday (hundreds of babies are exterminated annually AFTER birth), your child's education and future is under the government's strict control.
-- From "Watching Out for Her Little Ones - Belgium and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child" by Peter Kamakawiwoole, ParentalRights.org 12/15/08
In March 2008, Belgium made international headlines when it sentenced two sets of Belgian parents to five months in prison, and fined them 4,100 euros ($8,000). The crime? Failing to vaccinate their children against polio. The government, hiding behind privacy laws, declined to comment on why the parents had refused the vaccine in the first place, or how long a reprieve they had been given in which to comply before going to jail.
The Belgian government is also deeply involved in education. Parents can place their children in community schools, or in public or private schools. Unlike their American counterparts, however, Belgium’s “private schools” are not strictly run by private individuals, but receive subsidies from the government, along with significant oversight from national and local education ministries. All schools - even within the home - are required to teach children “respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the cultural values of the child and others,” under Article 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Public, private, and home schools are all inspected by the government to insure compliance, and disobedience could result in the children being placed in a school of the government’s choosing.
Since 2002, Belgium has allowed doctors to terminate the lives of infants under the age of 12 months if they feel the baby is somehow disabled or deficient, and is likely to suffer in life as a result. More than half of the Belgian babies who die before they are a year old are killed by deliberate medical intervention. In 16% of cases, parental consent was not even considered. To put these numbers in perspective, the CIA World Fact Book estimates that roughly 106,000 babies are born in Belgium each year. Even using conservative estimates of Belgium’s rate of “assisted-suicide” in infants, one can estimate that some 470 children will die before they celebrate their first birthday. Of these 470, more than 200 will die not from natural causes, but from direct medical intervention. Forty (40) of them will die regardless of their parents’ wishes, objections, or pleadings. Such a program might produce a “better society,” but one is left in horror at the ultimate sacrifice of innocent babies.
Unfortunately, the program has been deemed so “successful” in Belgium that in March 2008, the government began considering legislation that would also make assisted-suicide available to teenagers and younger children who are terminally-ill.
To read the full report, complete with footnotes, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Watching Out for Her Little Ones - Belgium and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child" by Peter Kamakawiwoole, ParentalRights.org 12/15/08
In March 2008, Belgium made international headlines when it sentenced two sets of Belgian parents to five months in prison, and fined them 4,100 euros ($8,000). The crime? Failing to vaccinate their children against polio. The government, hiding behind privacy laws, declined to comment on why the parents had refused the vaccine in the first place, or how long a reprieve they had been given in which to comply before going to jail.
The Belgian government is also deeply involved in education. Parents can place their children in community schools, or in public or private schools. Unlike their American counterparts, however, Belgium’s “private schools” are not strictly run by private individuals, but receive subsidies from the government, along with significant oversight from national and local education ministries. All schools - even within the home - are required to teach children “respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the cultural values of the child and others,” under Article 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Public, private, and home schools are all inspected by the government to insure compliance, and disobedience could result in the children being placed in a school of the government’s choosing.
Since 2002, Belgium has allowed doctors to terminate the lives of infants under the age of 12 months if they feel the baby is somehow disabled or deficient, and is likely to suffer in life as a result. More than half of the Belgian babies who die before they are a year old are killed by deliberate medical intervention. In 16% of cases, parental consent was not even considered. To put these numbers in perspective, the CIA World Fact Book estimates that roughly 106,000 babies are born in Belgium each year. Even using conservative estimates of Belgium’s rate of “assisted-suicide” in infants, one can estimate that some 470 children will die before they celebrate their first birthday. Of these 470, more than 200 will die not from natural causes, but from direct medical intervention. Forty (40) of them will die regardless of their parents’ wishes, objections, or pleadings. Such a program might produce a “better society,” but one is left in horror at the ultimate sacrifice of innocent babies.
Unfortunately, the program has been deemed so “successful” in Belgium that in March 2008, the government began considering legislation that would also make assisted-suicide available to teenagers and younger children who are terminally-ill.
To read the full report, complete with footnotes, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Congress Considers "End of Christian Witness" Legislation
President Bush was the road block against the advancement of "hate crimes" legislation, so as Bush leaves office, Congress is now poised to end religious liberty and freedom of speech.
UPDATE 4/29/09: New "Hate Crimes" bill HR 1913
On January 7, 2009, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee [TX-18] introduced two new "hate crimes" bills: H.R. 256 and H.R. 262 (click on the bill number for detailed information).
How will "hate crimes" legislation spell the end of Christian witness? Follow the links (highlighted text) in the below summary.
So-called hate-crimes laws could be the textbook case of a slippery slope: Today, it’s special protections for homosexuals. Tomorrow it’s protections for radical Islamists. And after that, who knows? Rotarians? Sex workers? Abortionists?
The problem comes in the interpretation of “hate.” As regards the volatile issues of homosexuality and transgenderism, one person’s definition of love is defined by another as hate.
In Oakland, California, a handful of African-American Christian women found out that their free speech rights had effectively been outlawed. Their Christian witness was interpreted as "hate."
"Hate crimes" bills inevitably create the "thought police" by giving the federal government jurisdiction over local criminal offenses believed to be “motivated by prejudice.”
In Alberta, Canada, a former pastor and head of a Christian organization Stephen Boissoin, sent a letter to a local paper on the issue of sexual orientation. Two weeks later a gay teen was beaten up, and after years of litigation, the pastor was found guilty of violating a "hate crimes" human rights law because the letter likely exposed gays to hatred and contempt - despite the fact that he had never advocated violence of any sort in his letter or otherwise.
A judge in New York has ruled evidence of "hatred" is unnecessary for a prosecutor to pursue a "hate crimes" case against three men arrested for the death of a homosexual man. . . . concluding prosecutors only need to show that the man, who was beaten and then hit by a vehicle in a robbery attempt, was picked because of his sexual orientation.
And while artists receive government funding for acclaimed exhibits of Jesus being defiled in urine, and by many other means . . . a 23-year-old man was arrested on hate-crime charges after he threw a Quran in a toilet at Pace University on two separate occasions.
UPDATE 4/29/09: New "Hate Crimes" bill HR 1913
On January 7, 2009, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee [TX-18] introduced two new "hate crimes" bills: H.R. 256 and H.R. 262 (click on the bill number for detailed information).
How will "hate crimes" legislation spell the end of Christian witness? Follow the links (highlighted text) in the below summary.
So-called hate-crimes laws could be the textbook case of a slippery slope: Today, it’s special protections for homosexuals. Tomorrow it’s protections for radical Islamists. And after that, who knows? Rotarians? Sex workers? Abortionists?
The problem comes in the interpretation of “hate.” As regards the volatile issues of homosexuality and transgenderism, one person’s definition of love is defined by another as hate.
In Oakland, California, a handful of African-American Christian women found out that their free speech rights had effectively been outlawed. Their Christian witness was interpreted as "hate."
"Hate crimes" bills inevitably create the "thought police" by giving the federal government jurisdiction over local criminal offenses believed to be “motivated by prejudice.”
In Alberta, Canada, a former pastor and head of a Christian organization Stephen Boissoin, sent a letter to a local paper on the issue of sexual orientation. Two weeks later a gay teen was beaten up, and after years of litigation, the pastor was found guilty of violating a "hate crimes" human rights law because the letter likely exposed gays to hatred and contempt - despite the fact that he had never advocated violence of any sort in his letter or otherwise.
A judge in New York has ruled evidence of "hatred" is unnecessary for a prosecutor to pursue a "hate crimes" case against three men arrested for the death of a homosexual man. . . . concluding prosecutors only need to show that the man, who was beaten and then hit by a vehicle in a robbery attempt, was picked because of his sexual orientation.
And while artists receive government funding for acclaimed exhibits of Jesus being defiled in urine, and by many other means . . . a 23-year-old man was arrested on hate-crime charges after he threw a Quran in a toilet at Pace University on two separate occasions.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Abortion Advocate Sees Southern Women Lacking in Opportunities
With regard to rising rates of teenage motherhood: "It's more costly for youth in the Northeast to have a teen birth than for youth in the South, in terms of opportunities they'll miss," said David Landry, a researcher at the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute.
-- From "Mississippi has highest teen birth rate, CDC says" by Mike Stobbe, Associated Press 1/7/08
Mississippi now has the nation's highest teen pregnancy rate, displacing Texas and New Mexico for that lamentable title, according to a new federal report released Wednesday.
Mississippi's rate was more than 60 percent higher than the national average in 2006, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The teen pregnancy rate in Texas and New Mexico was more than 50 percent higher.
The three states have large proportions of black and Hispanic teenagers - groups that traditionally have higher birth rates, experts noted.
The lowest teen birth rates continue to be in New England, where three states have teen birth rates at just half the national average.
Some experts have blamed the national increase on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education that does not teach teens how to use condoms and other contraception. They said that would explain why teen birth rate increases have been detected across much of the country and not just in a few spots.
There is debate about that, however. Some conservative organizations have argued that contraceptive-focused sex education is still common, and that the new teen birth numbers reflect it is failing.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Note the biased reporting: "experts" blame abstinence-only education, while "conservatives" argue it's a failure of condom-stressing education.
-- From "Mississippi has highest teen birth rate, CDC says" by Mike Stobbe, Associated Press 1/7/08
Mississippi now has the nation's highest teen pregnancy rate, displacing Texas and New Mexico for that lamentable title, according to a new federal report released Wednesday.
Mississippi's rate was more than 60 percent higher than the national average in 2006, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The teen pregnancy rate in Texas and New Mexico was more than 50 percent higher.
The three states have large proportions of black and Hispanic teenagers - groups that traditionally have higher birth rates, experts noted.
The lowest teen birth rates continue to be in New England, where three states have teen birth rates at just half the national average.
Some experts have blamed the national increase on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education that does not teach teens how to use condoms and other contraception. They said that would explain why teen birth rate increases have been detected across much of the country and not just in a few spots.
There is debate about that, however. Some conservative organizations have argued that contraceptive-focused sex education is still common, and that the new teen birth numbers reflect it is failing.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Note the biased reporting: "experts" blame abstinence-only education, while "conservatives" argue it's a failure of condom-stressing education.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Man Charged in Death of Unborn Baby
The Unborn Victims of Violence Act stemmed from the abduction and murder of a pregnant woman, Laci Peterson, in California in 2003. The law makes it a crime to kill a fetus in utero at any stage of development while committing another federal crime; it does not require the perpetrator to know the woman was pregnant.
-- From "Fetus law to be used in murder case" The Associated Press, 12/30/08
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Federal prosecutors in New Mexico believe they may be the first to use a 2004 law to charge someone with killing a fetus while causing the death or injury of the mother.
Charges against Frederick Beach, accused of beating his pregnant girlfriend to death, include one under the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. U.S. Attorney Greg Fouratt said his office's research found "no other case in the country in which that section (of law) has been charged," the Albuquerque Journal reported Tuesday.
If convicted, Beach faces life in prison.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Fetus law to be used in murder case" The Associated Press, 12/30/08
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Federal prosecutors in New Mexico believe they may be the first to use a 2004 law to charge someone with killing a fetus while causing the death or injury of the mother.
Charges against Frederick Beach, accused of beating his pregnant girlfriend to death, include one under the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. U.S. Attorney Greg Fouratt said his office's research found "no other case in the country in which that section (of law) has been charged," the Albuquerque Journal reported Tuesday.
If convicted, Beach faces life in prison.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
ACLU Wants Kids Barred from Church Program
A parent is suing an Indiana school district for allowing students to voluntarily attend a non-taxpayer-funded religious education program that meets on school property NOT during instruction time.
-- From "Mom sues school over religious ed class" by Associated Press 1/2/09
HUNTINGTON, Ind. - School officials in a northeastern Indiana district deny that a religious education program offered during the school day illegally advances religion, as a federal lawsuit claims.
The Huntington County Community School Corp. argued in a response to the lawsuit that the release time program neither advances nor inhibits religion.
Similar programs at elementary schools have been protected by a 1952 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed students to receive religious education during school hours but not on school property.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Mom sues school over religious ed class" by Associated Press 1/2/09
HUNTINGTON, Ind. - School officials in a northeastern Indiana district deny that a religious education program offered during the school day illegally advances religion, as a federal lawsuit claims.
The Huntington County Community School Corp. argued in a response to the lawsuit that the release time program neither advances nor inhibits religion.
Similar programs at elementary schools have been protected by a 1952 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed students to receive religious education during school hours but not on school property.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Monday, January 05, 2009
UK Educators Assist Children in Killing Children
Emergency contraception is being handed out to pupils in almost 1,000 schools without the knowledge of parents, according to figures. Morning-after pills are being given to girls as young as 11 by health authority clinics set up in secondary schools.
-- From "Morning-after pills available to pupils in almost 1,000 schools" by Alastair Jamieson, The Telegraph 01/04/09
In Oxfordshire alone 1,081 emergency contraceptives have been issued over the past six years, despite records showing pregnancy rates in the county have risen in every year that the clinics have been in operation.
Since 2000, the Government has promoted sexual health services for teenagers as part of its "extended schools" policy, which turns schools into one-stop-shops for education, health and social services. The new guidance for colleges says principals should consider installing condom vending machines and holding regular chlamydia and gonorrhea testing sessions.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Morning-after pills available to pupils in almost 1,000 schools" by Alastair Jamieson, The Telegraph 01/04/09
In Oxfordshire alone 1,081 emergency contraceptives have been issued over the past six years, despite records showing pregnancy rates in the county have risen in every year that the clinics have been in operation.
Since 2000, the Government has promoted sexual health services for teenagers as part of its "extended schools" policy, which turns schools into one-stop-shops for education, health and social services. The new guidance for colleges says principals should consider installing condom vending machines and holding regular chlamydia and gonorrhea testing sessions.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
NY Times Derides Christian Legislator
“The church-state divide is not a line I see. What I do see is an attempt to separate America from its history of perceiving itself as a nation under God,” [says Tom Riner, a Baptist minister and Democrat Kentucky legislator for 26 years.]
-- From "Lawmaker in Kentucky Mixes Piety and Politics" by Ian Urbina, New York Times 01/04/09
In December, an atheist organization and a group of state residents sued Kentucky over Mr. Riner’s most recent incursion: a 2006 law he sponsored requiring that the state’s homeland security office post a plaque recognizing God’s role in keeping the country safe.
“Tom is as pious as he is persistent,” said State Senator Kathy W. Stein, a Democrat from Lexington. “He’s also prone to legislative stunts that are embarrassing and expensive for this state.”
While many Kentuckians see the religious displays as an antidote to what they view as the growing immorality in society, Mr. Riner cites the displays as a bulwark against the drift by teachers and politicians away from the historical role that God played in the thinking of the nation’s forefathers.
“If we don’t affirm the right to recognize divine providence, then that right will disappear,” Mr. Riner said. “It’s part of our history. Whether we believe it personally or not, it’s what America is.”
Mr. Riner’s law involving the homeland security office says that its initial duty should be “stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth.”
The plaque that the law required the office to post has an 88-word statement that begins: “The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God.”
Al Cross, the director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, said Mr. Riner’s measures rarely faced resistance in the legislature.
“Politicians are afraid of attack ads that will say they voted against God if they vote against measures like the ones that Riner puts up,” Mr. Cross said.
But for all their devotion, the Riners miss a basic point, said Ms. Stein, the State Assembly’s only Jewish member. “Just because the nation’s forefathers held certain views about God,” she said, “does not mean that all of those views fit today’s more diverse context.”
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Lawmaker in Kentucky Mixes Piety and Politics" by Ian Urbina, New York Times 01/04/09
In December, an atheist organization and a group of state residents sued Kentucky over Mr. Riner’s most recent incursion: a 2006 law he sponsored requiring that the state’s homeland security office post a plaque recognizing God’s role in keeping the country safe.
“Tom is as pious as he is persistent,” said State Senator Kathy W. Stein, a Democrat from Lexington. “He’s also prone to legislative stunts that are embarrassing and expensive for this state.”
While many Kentuckians see the religious displays as an antidote to what they view as the growing immorality in society, Mr. Riner cites the displays as a bulwark against the drift by teachers and politicians away from the historical role that God played in the thinking of the nation’s forefathers.
“If we don’t affirm the right to recognize divine providence, then that right will disappear,” Mr. Riner said. “It’s part of our history. Whether we believe it personally or not, it’s what America is.”
Mr. Riner’s law involving the homeland security office says that its initial duty should be “stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth.”
The plaque that the law required the office to post has an 88-word statement that begins: “The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God.”
Al Cross, the director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, said Mr. Riner’s measures rarely faced resistance in the legislature.
“Politicians are afraid of attack ads that will say they voted against God if they vote against measures like the ones that Riner puts up,” Mr. Cross said.
But for all their devotion, the Riners miss a basic point, said Ms. Stein, the State Assembly’s only Jewish member. “Just because the nation’s forefathers held certain views about God,” she said, “does not mean that all of those views fit today’s more diverse context.”
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Gay Agenda Stripping Arizona Lawyers' Freedom
Throwing our constitutional rights of free speech and freedom of association down the drain, the State Bar of Arizona is considering a revision to the attorneys' oath of office that would silence conservative viewpoints on gay issues.
-- From "State Bar of AZ to censor First Amendment rights of attorneys on gay issues" by Rachel Alexander, Intellectual Conservative.com 12/15/08
Several attorneys, including myself have expressed their opposition in a letter to the Bar. They point out that the language is so broad, it could be used to ban an attorney from publicly expressing a viewpoint on gay issues. It could also prohibit an organization of Christian attorneys like the Alliance Defense Fund or the Christian Legal Society, which holds Bible studies at law schools, from refusing to admit persons of alternative sexual preference to their organizations.
The State Bar of Arizona is a mandatory association for attorneys wishing to practice law in Arizona. As such, they have the power to revoke the license to practice law in Arizona of any attorney they believe has violated this provision.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "State Bar of AZ to censor First Amendment rights of attorneys on gay issues" by Rachel Alexander, Intellectual Conservative.com 12/15/08
Several attorneys, including myself have expressed their opposition in a letter to the Bar. They point out that the language is so broad, it could be used to ban an attorney from publicly expressing a viewpoint on gay issues. It could also prohibit an organization of Christian attorneys like the Alliance Defense Fund or the Christian Legal Society, which holds Bible studies at law schools, from refusing to admit persons of alternative sexual preference to their organizations.
The State Bar of Arizona is a mandatory association for attorneys wishing to practice law in Arizona. As such, they have the power to revoke the license to practice law in Arizona of any attorney they believe has violated this provision.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
ACLU Sues to Overturn Arkansas Voters on Homosexual Adoption
More than a dozen families sued Tuesday to challenge a new Arkansas law banning unmarried couples living together from becoming foster or adoptive parents.
-- From "ACLU of Arkansas sues over adoption restrictions" by Andrew DeMillo, Associated Press 12/30/08
The Arkansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of the families in Pulaski County Circuit Court seeking to overturn Act 1, which was approved by voters in last month's general election.
The plaintiffs also include Stephanie Huffman and Wendy Rickman, a lesbian couple raising two sons together and who want to adopt a foster child from the state.
The Arkansas Family Council, a conservative group that campaigned for the ban, said it was aimed at gay couples but that the law will affect heterosexuals and gays equally.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "ACLU of Arkansas sues over adoption restrictions" by Andrew DeMillo, Associated Press 12/30/08
The Arkansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of the families in Pulaski County Circuit Court seeking to overturn Act 1, which was approved by voters in last month's general election.
The plaintiffs also include Stephanie Huffman and Wendy Rickman, a lesbian couple raising two sons together and who want to adopt a foster child from the state.
The Arkansas Family Council, a conservative group that campaigned for the ban, said it was aimed at gay couples but that the law will affect heterosexuals and gays equally.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.